


Shadow of the Nemeton

by nicolacolaclassic



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Erica, Alternate Universe- Mostly Canon, Cora Died in the Hale Fire, Ensemble Cast, F/M, M/M, Minor 3b Spoilers, Post 3a, Rotating Protagonist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-20
Updated: 2013-10-26
Packaged: 2017-12-29 22:15:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1010739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicolacolaclassic/pseuds/nicolacolaclassic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek and Erica head out on a road trip. Meanwhile, Scott and his new pack are trying to figure out relationships and pack dynamics as they face whatever new threats come their way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the purposes of this story Cora died six years ago in the Hale house fire and Erica wasn't killed by the alpha pack. Erica then in substituted in for Cora during 3a (with the exception of anything about being Derek's sister or living with him in the loft).
> 
> Characters that have been announced for 3b appear in this story, but nothing I've written about them is canon (as far as I know...).
> 
> Everything else is canon compliant and the story picks up right after the end of 3a.

Erica rolled down the window, breathing in the nighttime air as she watched the desert scenery pass through the headlights. When she had soaked up enough of the silence, filled herself up with it, she turned to Derek, “So where are we headed?”

“Away,” he muttered. It was clear that was all her used-to-be alpha had wanted to say on the topic, but when he turned and took in her expression he added, “Until it feels far enough”.  Erica nodded. She understood what he meant. There were so many things in Beacon Hills that were painful for her, and she knew that for Derek the feeling was far worse.

Away. Far away from the burnt down house and flooded apartment, from villains turned allies, from graves and ashes, far away from the memories. She studied the man sitting next to her, with his hand clutching the wheel like any moment they might crash. Although she’d never had any other alphas, she knew he hadn’t been the best, and although he kept his emotions locked up inside of him, she knew guilt was suffocating him. It had all been more than she had thought she was getting herself into, but Derek had given her power when she felt she had nothing, and when she was dying he had given up his power for her, risked his life for her, when others had said he wouldn’t be able to resist the thrill of the kill.

So she’d left with him. Because there were too many reasons to go and not enough to stay. She’s said goodbye to her parents and Isaac and Stiles and even Peter, who everyone had warned her about, but she couldn’t help but like. And maybe it was a testament to her emotional health since Boyd died that they had all thought this would be the best for her too.

Derek’s phone vibrated on the dashboard and he strained his eyes to make out the caller, ever concerned that he would be leaving “New True Alpha Scott McCall” as Beacon Hills only defense against its next supernatural serial killer, but it was just Isaac again. Outside of her window Erica saw that some of the immigrant fireflies had ventured just as far outside of Beacon Hills as she had, as if they were guiding the way. She had wondered if Derek would take them to wherever he had used to with his sister, but then she had realized that that was probably just as painful. Erica wondered if he was happy there; she hoped they would be now.

-*-

 

Isaac rapped his knuckles on Scott’s open door, his long body leaning easily in the frame “Allison and I are going to go see Moneyball. Wanna come?”

                Scott paused, then looked up from the text book he had been diligently reading and shook his head, “Stiles is coming over to work on that project.”

                “Right,” Isaac responded, adjusting the buttons on his coat, “I’ll see you later then”.

                Scott did his best to fake a smile, “I won’t wait up.”

Isaac responded with several successive flashes of emotion, which Scott could only interpret as discomfort, before deciding on a gentle, “Okay.”

Several minutes later when Isaac, Stiles and Allison were exchanging pleasantries in the driveway, Scott let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding in. As he heard his best friend bound up the stairs, two at a time, he tried to focus back on his text book.

                Stiles threw his backpack on Scott’s bed from the hallway. “Sorry I’m late. I was waylaid dropping off dinner for my dad,” he said, sprawling out in the middle of the floor, “They’re starting out a whole bunch of new officers. The only call they got all day was about a cat stuck in a tree. Literally half of the force went to get it down. Someone got scratched in the eye. The feds are real fed up.”

                “Good. Maybe it will convince my dad to leave sooner,” Scott mumbled as he flipped through pages.

                Stiles snorted, “Nice face, dude.”

                “What face?” Scott sighed, he was probably still making it.

                “You know, that face. That sad, sad, pathetic puppy face you always make when—“Stiles sat up. “Wait. That isn’t a ‘my dad is such an ass’ face. That is a ‘Allison and Isaac are gallivanting around town and having a swell time without me’ face,” he accused, “Honestly Scott, I keep telling you, if you have a problem with Allison and Isaac being together just tell Isaac it upsets you.  He would 87% not date her”

                “87%?”

                “It’s a science”

                Scott closed his book and sighed, “I want him to be happy. I want both of them to be happy.” He did, he really did. And if he also thought that they were both supposed to love _him,_ he wasn’t going to think about that.

So maybe he thought that when Allison had ended it she needed time for herself, not time to see other people. He had told her he would wait for her, but this wasn’t what he had expected waiting would mean.  He thought he would feel just as strongly as he had then forever, no matter what, but that hadn’t turned out the way he’d expected either.

And maybe he worried that Isaac thought he couldn’t have someone that would love him without hurting him. Isaac was strong and loyal and good, but sometimes Scott worried his friend couldn’t see those things in himself. He worried Isaac believed himself more deserving of punishment than love. Scott wanted Isaac to know that he deserved someone who would take care of him and make him feel special, and not that Allison couldn’t necessarily be that person, but… well maybe that was another thing Scott shouldn’t think about. It was definitely a thing he was not going to tell Stiles about.

“I mean, yes Stiles, I am a little jealous, but I’m not going to go all jerkface alpha on them and try to break them apart,” he conceded

“I don’t know Scott, with Derek gone there is a real need to be filled in the jerkface alpha department. You might want to get on that” Stiles laughed.

                Scott rolled his eyes and reopened his book, “So about this project...”

His best friend groaned, falling back on the floor, “Ugh. I miss failing Scott.”

-*-

 

                “Well if anyone can get Derek to actually buy furniture I guess it’s Erica,” Isaac mused as he trudged through the woods with Allison, following his flashlight beam. He was glad they had left Allison’s Mazda in the McCall’s driveway; the temperature was nice and Isaac appreciated a chance to see the fall foliage when he wasn’t running drills or trying to save people from certain death. They had both enjoyed the movie, but Allison had clearly preferred besting Isaac at bug catching. Even without the flashlight he could see her excitement every time she caught a firefly.

                “I know you’re not a big fan of either of them,” he said as Allison jumped up and caught another one, “but for a while they were all I had.”

                She opened her hand and watched the flickering light float into the darkness, “I never said--“

                “You may have many talents Allison, but hiding your opinions isn’t one of them,” Isaac smirked. She made a face. “There you go again,” he teased, “so easy to read.”

                She turned around and pointed at him in mock accusation, “Isn’t Derek not even talking to you right now? Shouldn’t you be a bit more upset at him?” Isaac frowned. Derek hadn’t even said goodbye to him, and it did hurt. “Sorry,” Allison said in that way of her’s where she didn’t actually seem sorry, but at least she was giving it an effort, “Scott told me.” Isaac’s frown deepened.

                He sighed, sinking into his scarf, “I was pretty harsh during the whole nemeton thing.” It was something Isaac didn’t really want to talk to her about. He had blamed Derek for Boyd’s death and accused him of leaving everyone to die, and Isaac really wished he would have kept his stupid mouth shut. He understood why Derek would never want to talk to him again.  The older wolf probably hadn’t wanted much to do with him in the first place, and now that Isaac wasn’t his beta anymore, why would he even bother with him.

                Allison moved a little closer and smiled up at him, rubbing his arms like she was trying to warm him up, “He’ll get over it.” She looked like she wanted to kiss him, though Isaac had no idea why she wanted to kiss him _now_. She was smart, tough and honestly really hot, and part of him wanted to kiss her too. But another, maybe bigger, part of him wanted to tell her that he couldn’t. That he just wanted to be friends. That something was holding him back. Someone. Isaac couldn’t help but think that both parts were incredibly self-destructive.

                “Allison I—“ He heard a rustling to the left and for some reason it scared him.

                “What was that?”

So she had heard it too.  

They heard the noise again, but from the right this time. There was a flash of light, and in his peripheral vision Isaac saw the outline of a person, dark and terrifying. He sensed Allison’s heart beat rise and he instinctively reached out to protect her, even though it would only really make it harder for her to reach the knives she inevitably had on her person. With his other hand, Isaac swept the area with his flashlight, desperately wishing that he had alpha infrared vision, until finally the beam hit it’s target.

“Lydia,” Isaac and Allison sighed in uniform relief. The look in the strawberry blonde’s eyes snapped from ethereal to confused as she took in her surroundings. All at once the trio realized what her presence must mean.

“Not again.”

-*-

 

                Sheriff Stilinski pulled back the tinfoil and came face to face with a veggie wrap. He sighed. The aroma of a nice juicy hamburger filled the car and he turned to the officer next to him with envy, “Are you sure that you want this?”

                “I think that my figure can handle the late night calories,” the younger man responded, taking a bite out of his cheeseburger.

                “This job is dangerous, Andrew .”

                “If this is some ploy to get me to surrender my curly fries, it isn’t going to happen,” the new officer laughed, picking out the tomato and throwing it back into the bag.

                “We’ve lost five officers in the last six months. I don’t want to see your parents lose another child. I’m worried about them. And you”

                 “Uncle John,” Andrew’s face softened, “everyone is in danger here. There’s been so much death lately.” He took a deep breath and tired again, “I graduated at the top of my class at the police academy, and with you as my partner, I should be… I can’t just…When Heather died I… I-I have to try and do something about it.” He placed his hand on the dashboard, “I know you know the feeling.”

                Andrew wasn’t family, but he was close enough it made no matter. As he looked at his new partner the sheriff tried to see a young man, a brave new officer, a Deputy Parrish, but couldn’t shake the memories of Stiles, Heather and Andrew playing cops and robbers in the backyard, Claudia telling them not to track mud in the house. Even if so much had changed since then.

               An alert came through the cruiser's CB radio “We’ve got several reports of screams within the preserve.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you feel so inclined, you can follow me on tumblr at nicolacolaclassic.tumblr.com

Aiden awoke with a backpack to the face. “What the hell,” he growled, trying to push the bag off of him without opening his eyes.

Ethan slapped his arm, “You’re going to be late for school.”

Aiden pshawed, “We’re not going to school.” He squinted and despite his best attempts to keep his eyes closed the light was seeping through. He gave up on the backpack and pulled the covers over his head, but it was to no avail. And when he finally opened his eyes, he saw his brother fishing through the top drawer of the dresser. “Are you fucking serious?” Aiden asked, “You’re actually going to school?”

“We’ve been going to high school for over a month now, as far as everyone here is concerned, we are high school students,” Ethan pointed out, pulling a t-shirt over his head.

“It’s not going to raise anyone’s suspicions if we say we moved away,” Aiden reasoned, growing increasingly agitated as his brother continued his morning routine.  

Ethan didn’t even seem to consider this reasoning, only giving Aiden a “What about Lydia?” as he walked out of the bedroom.

Aiden had known that Ethan’s little project with Danny had graduated into actual feelings for some time now, and he was still considering ripping one, or possibly both, of their faces off, if only because it was just really fucking annoying. Aiden and Lydia’s relationship, on the other hand, was far from love, and his feelings, if they did in fact exist, were minimal. He suspected Lydia’s feelings were the same if not worse.  She knew and had known the truth. Sure it was good to know that she didn’t want him dead, but he knew that Lydia had forgiven much worse. At this point Aiden didn’t really know what was going on between them, if anything at all. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure he cared. Either way, he sure as hell knew that going to high school didn’t have anything to do with it.

“What _about_ Lydia?,” he retorted, “ Lydia means nothing. _Danny_ means nothing. Remember that.” He followed his brother into the kitchen, ignoring every unopened door, “What we really should be doing is finding Deucalion.”

“Deucalion is gone, Aiden.”

“You know he isn’t dead. We can at least look for him,” he tried, but Ethan refused to acknowledge his suggestion.

 His twin just stared down at the ground as he tied his shoes, not even looking up as he approached, “I’m going to school.”

 And that’s when Aiden realized it. It had started with Danny, but Ethan’s loyalty had been wavering for weeks. Getting in the middle of Aiden’s fight with Erica, trying to stop Kali from killing Derek, and now that everyone else was gone, he finally drank the Scott McCall Kool-Aid.

Aiden’s fingers clenched, tips of his claws grazing his palm, “You think that since Scott has become an alpha you can just replace us and join his pack? What are you, so desperate for acceptance that you’re going to become a beta in a pack of teenagers?” Receiving no response, Aiden continued, smile tight and curling, “You think that Scott and his little friends are going to accept you, Ethan? You’ve killed one of them and you’ve killed many more. They may have tolerated you when they needed you, but you are always going to be the villain.” Ethan remained motionless, still refusing to acknowledge this conversation was happening. Aiden seethed, “And what about Danny? Hmm? Do you think he’s going to be fine? how long is it going to be before someone tells him he’s dating the big bad wolf? I told you before I’d kill him. I still might.” Ethan’s muscle visibly tightened at that, and Aiden’s hand slammed down on the table, his voice dropped to a hiss “You think that you can go to school and play pretend? That you can replace the past with something new? Well I’ll tell you what Ethan, that isn’t your life. You aren’t one of them and you aren’t like them.” And finally Ethan looked up at him, eyes cold and dark and hard, but Aiden’s were a deep shade of red, “You are like me.”

-*-

The bell had rung, but no teacher had yet appeared. Lydia doodled absentmindedly on her notebook. It didn’t matter. If there was no physics teacher, then there was no physic teacher’s body for her to find later. She was far ahead of the subject matter anyway.

“Psst, Lydia.”

“Psst Lydia.”

“Psst Lydia.”

“What?” she hissed, slamming her notebook down on the table and gathering the attention of the entire class. She partnered her glare with her most diplomatic smile and turned around. Stiles smiled at her. He had also been, apparently, batting her hair with his pencil.

“Whatcha drawing?” he asked with an attempt of feigned innocence so bad that looked like pity.

She rolled her eyes, “It’s just flowers.” She held up the doodle and Stiles grabbed it from her hands. If she was going to have to present every doodle for inspection from now on, she was likely to end up doing _more_ than just finding the bodies.

Scott leaned in from the other side of the lab table to join the conversation. “So about last night…” he said giving look to see if their classmates had returned to their own business that probably should have been more thourough.

“I don’t really have anything to report,” she told him, raising an eyebrow.

 “Let me take a guess.  Head in a fog, dead body, ear splitting scream, massive headache,” Stiles interjected.

Scott looked at her in earnest and shook his head, “I mean, do you have any details? About the body or the murder? ”

“My dad said ‘it was distinctly unsupernatural. Clean shot, bullet to the chest. Do your homework, I can’t tell you _all_ of the police business,” Stiles rolled his eyes, “Someday he is going to realize I am the police force’s greatest asset.”

Lydia shook her head, “Maybe there’s nothing more to it than that.  I don’t know what to tell you,” Lydia sighed. She was trying to somehow work her power so that she could get there _before_ anyone died. But it wasn’t as if she had a guide. And it was all still so disorienting…“Can’t you ask Isaac or Allison about it?”

Scott smiled, “Isaac isn’t very loquacious about this sort of thing.” Stiles snorted.

 “Nice word, buddy,” he said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. Lydia rolled her eyes, Scott’s “word of the day”s were getting old fast, though she was honestly impressed that he’d kept it up this long.

“Thank you,” Scott paused a moment, then nodded at the empty space next to her, “Your lab partner isn’t here.”

 “You could hardly expect him to be. After what happened with Miss Blake,” she responded, wondering at her own decision to call it that. _What Happened With Miss Blake_.

“But Ethan’s here,” Scott said. And there he was, sitting at his back corner lab table and looking profoundly unhappy. She tried to catch Danny’s eye, but he was completely absorbed in his boyfriend’s emotional state.

The door slammed open and in walked Coach Finstock, “Well boys and girls ,until our lovely school district can seduce someone to come in and take this godforsaken job, I guess you’re going to get me.” He glared at a girl in the first row, “And it seems we have a new student. Kira Kimura. Just moved to Beacon Hills, huh? And you couldn’t have been a physics teacher? ” He took a moment to put down his briefcase and look at the lesson plans, “Greenburg isn’t in this class is he?” Greenburg was. Exasperated, he turned to the chalkboard, “Do you know why I decided to teach Economics? It wasn’t because I loved science.”

Lydia went back to doodling. It was going to be a trying day.

-*-

Ms. Morrell was standing outside of her office, looking through one of her files with a stolid expression when she saw him. “Mr. Stilinski, you’re a bit early for your appointment. I’m afraid Principal Thomas is showing the guidance office to a prospective career counselor. ” Stiles shifted his weight uncomfortably. He was unsure of Ms. Morrell. Shady as he thought Deaton was, it was obvious that he cared about Scott. Morrell’s loyalties were unclear.  As was her agenda, what she was capable of, and what she knew. Still he’d continued going to his weekly appointments, though they had become some game akin to the staring contest, of which Ms. Morrell was the expert. To be honest, he wanted for the advice.

She considered him for a moment, titling her head to the side, and gestured for him to follow her down the hallway. They walked a few classrooms down, until they came upon the music room. “You know, Stiles, I am currently the interim music teacher,” she informed him as she opened the door.

“Did you study music?” he asked, mostly to fill up the space.

“I’m more qualified then some.”

“Jack of all trades, huh?”

“You would be surprised at the multiple facets people have,” she mused, placing her files down a top the piano, “Take for example, Vincent Parker, music teacher and military man. Hannah Albernathy, piano accompanist and philosopher. Stiles Stiliniski,” she sat down at the bench and ran her fingers lightly across the keys, “are you familiar with the piano?”

“My mother played,” he offered.

“A musical scale is an unlimited continuum of pitches, “Morrell informed him, “but in order to express this scale on an instrument, a limited number of pitches must be chosen. It can’t just be at random.” She pressed a few of the piano keys as a demonstration. “The trick,” she continued, “is finding the right set of notes that fit together, not only representing the continuum, but also creating a harmony.” She began playing a tune. “Pythagoras believed that, like the musical scale, the cosmos is made up of parts, not chosen randomly, but harmonically.”

“Pythagoras, mathematician, musician, philosopher,” Stiles quipped.

Ms. Morrell smiled, “You may have heard that things are about to get a bit more interesting,” she said standing up, “It’s true that I am Deucalion’s emissary. However, my, like anyone else’s, loyalties are complex, “She looked him straight in the eye, “Going forward I hope that we can be more forthcoming with each other.”

Stiles studied her, looked for what was in her eyes. Ms. Morrell was intimidating, yes, and her face near expressionless, but yet she was calm, and reassuring. He nodded.

“Besides,” she added, “I suspect that ‘the Demon Wolf’ has a rather new agenda.”

 “So,” Stiles inquired, “is the crypticism a family trait or are all emissaries like that?”

“Well,” She smiled, “You’re a part of a wolf pack, aren’t you? Now is when you find out. ”

-*-

Aiden trekked through the woods. It was unreasonably warm for early October. He was losing the scent. And he might be getting lost.

The truth was that Aiden knew the role that he and Ethan played in the alpha pack could be boiled down to brawn, good looks, and the ability to morph together into a double stuffed werewolf. He would have been the first to admit it, and up until this point Aiden had never felt that he was lacking. He had no problem being on the bottom of the totem pole if his pack was on the top of it. And he’d figured between him and Ethan they would be able to figure out what ever life threw at them.

Not once had he considered that he’d be left to figure out things on his own. He and Ethan were like two halves of the same whole, sometimes literally. But Ethan decided that he didn’t like that arrangement. As if that changed it. Screw him. Really if Ethan thought-- honestly how could he— that asshole-- actually, Aiden wasn’t going to think about this. He had eons to think of all the reasons he wanted to rip his brother’s head off, but a much more limited timeframe to find his alpha before all of Deucalion’s junk stopped smelling like him. Honestly, dude was a pack rat. That was how Aiden knew Deucalion must be around _somewhere_ , he didn’t take all of his stuff. Every time they’d moved, it had been a real pain in the ass. Deucalion had plans. Practicality, not so much.

To tell the truth he was pretty pissed off that Deucalion had left him, even though he had no right to be. He was the one who owed Deucalion, not the other way around. Aiden gritted his teeth and lashed out, taking pleasure in the pain in his knuckles as they came in contact with a tree. He hoped Ethan had felt it too.

All at once Deucalion’s scent flooded his nostrils, and he saw a ladder leading down between cellar doors. “Duke?” he called out as he climbed down the ladder, ducking to fit in a room that looked more like a poorly carved out burrow than a basement. The area was overcome with roots and ceiling looked like it was just _waiting_ to cave in. But, sure enough, there was Deucalion, digging through the debris. “What the hell are you doing down here?” Aiden asked.

“Now that I have my sight back,” Deucalion replied without pausing in his task, “I thought that I had better look a bit closer.”

 


End file.
